Getting healthy with two young kids has been a difficult undertaking. Time is even more limited now, so trying to find the time to workout or cook for myself is difficult. I’ve let things go for over three years, but I finally decided enough was enough. This time, it’s not the weight that prompted me to seek out a dietitian; this time, it’s more about my mood and how I feel — which is a huge mental shift for me.
When I was trying to conceive the first time around, I learned that I had polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Not only does this condition make it difficult to conceive, it makes it really hard to lose weight. At this point, I was prescribed Metformin to lose weight and then used fertility medication to help conceive my daughter.
When she was 18 months old, I started eating a low-carb diet
I was super strict and really good at it at the time, and the weight just came off. It was easy, but I had to be really diligent. I was excited to finally find something that worked for me, but then something happened: I got unexpectedly pregnant for the second time.
All of a sudden, everything I’d worked for went out the window. I couldn’t sustain eating low-carb when I was nauseated. I wanted toast and crackers, and just about anything that I could stomach. The higher-fat foods wouldn’t work anymore, and I gained all of the weight back during my pregnancy. It was so worth it to have my son, but it gave me a big hole to dig my way back out of again.
Although I’ve tried to do the low-carb thing a couple of times, I’ve backslid every time. With two kids, I found that I was stress eating much more than I used to, and it was hard to keep my mood and energy levels stable. I soon found that my mood was fluctuating too much for me to be the best mom I could for my kids, and that’s when I reached out to a dietitian to help me level back out.
As soon as I talked to her, I saw myself in everything she was saying
My hormones were out of control, and I was struggling to keep a level mood. My blood sugar was most likely being crazy. The things she said made sense, and I was ready to get back in control. Just by putting money into it, I’ve already invested in making this work.
The mindset shift has already been super valuable as I embark on this journey. I’m focusing more on the foods that are going to keep my mood level consistent and give me the energy I’ve been missing. This isn’t just about weight for me. When I’m in hangry mode, I yell and have a hard time dealing with life and my kids. The rage over my mood bottoming out is crippling, and I don’t want us to live that way.
I knew I needed to make a change
Even though this has cost us money, I’m on the path to becoming a better mom. A mom who has the energy to do things. A mom who can deal with stress. A mom who no longer yells. I want to be that mom, and keeping my mood stable is going to get me there.
I hope my kids see that this experience is helping all of us. They will miss making as many treats, but it’s for everyone’s well-being. Losing weight and feeling more comfortable in my body would be a bonus, but I really just want to feel better. I want a clear head, so I can tackle everything I need to do with energy. I want to be the mom who has dance parties with her kids again. I want the fun back, and this is going to help me get there.
